Filter

Filter formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1993, built around singer Richard Patrick following his stint as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails during the band's Pretty Hate Machine era. Filter is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Cleveland, Ohio, by singer Richard Patrick, along with guitarist and programmer Brian Liesegang, formed when Patrick desired to start his own band after leaving Nine Inch Nails as their touring guitarist. The pair crafted a sound that fused industrial textures with guitar-driven aggression, and Richard Patrick and his creative partner Brian Liesegang created Short Bus after Trent Reznor encouraged Patrick to make his own record, retaining much of the industrial rock sound from Nine Inch Nails, with more of a focus on guitar. The band's breakthrough came with its 1995 debut, Short Bus, propelled by the single "Hey Man Nice Shot," a track inspired by the televised suicide of Pennsylvania treasurer Budd Dwyer. Patrick landed his own deal with Reprise Records and scored a big hit with the aggressive song, and the rock radio success of that song and constant touring helped make Filter's 1995 debut album Short Bus a Platinum seller. The band's real commercial peak arrived with 1999's Title of Record, which produced the band's signature hit. "Take a Picture" became the band's most successful single, peaking within the top-20 of nine international charts, including the Billboard Hot 100. That album was recorded with a new lineup after Liesegang's departure, as creative differences led the Filter frontman to a split and then bringing in touring guitarist Geno Lenardo, bassist Frank Cavanagh, drummer Steve Gillis, and Short Bus mixer Ben Grosse as co-producer for the Title of Record sessions. Across the following two decades, Filter continued as Richard Patrick's ongoing vehicle through numerous lineup changes, with over fifteen musicians contributing to its sound either as full-time members or session players, while Richard Patrick remained the sole constant member and creative force behind the band. After 2002's The Amalgamut, the band went on a short hiatus while Patrick entered rehabilitation for addiction, and around 2005 he announced the formation of a new band, Army of Anyone, created with former members of Stone Temple Pilots and David Lee Roth's touring band. Patrick eventually returned to his main project, and Filter came back in 2008 with the emotional Anthems for the Damned, dedicated to a friend who was killed in Iraq. The band kept releasing music through the following decade, with Patrick releasing The Trouble With Angels in 2010, The Sun Comes Out Tonight in 2013 and Crazy Eyes in 2016. Filter remains active today, with Patrick still leading the band alongside a current lineup that includes guitarist Jonathan Radtke, bassist Bobby Miller, and drummer Elias Mallin. In August 2025, Filter released The Algorithm: Ultra Edition, a new take on the band's previous release, remixed and remastered, including 9 additional tracks. The band also celebrated its roots recently, marking the 30th anniversary of its debut, since Short Bus launched a far-reaching career that saw Filter evolve with Platinum follow-up Title of Record, featuring the crossover hit "Take a Picture," and critically acclaimed albums such as The Amalgamut, Anthems for the Damned and 2023's The Algorithm. More than three decades on, Filter's early work remains a touchstone of 1990s industrial and alternative rock, with Patrick's distinctive voice and songwriting continuing to define the band through every incarnation.